Chelsea head on US tour with just SIX midfielders, fans seriously concerned

Chelsea fans are seriously concerned after their squad for the pre-season tour of the United States included just SIX midfielders who are all under 23.

The Blues jetted out across the pond on Monday as they step up pre-season preparations for the new campaign.

They have been grilled by new boss Mauricio Pochettino at Cobham but are now based in North Carolina, where they will take on Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney's Wrexham at the Kenan Memorial Stadium on Thursday.

A 29-man squad was named by Pochettino and he elected to omit the likes of Romelu Lukaku, Hakim Ziyech and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as they are no longer part of his plans.

But Chelsea are looking very light in the middle of the park for their upcoming fixtures, with just two central senior midfielders in Enzo Fernandez and Conor Gallagher.

Youngsters Carney Chukwuemeka and Lewis Hall are also in, as are newcomers Andrey Santos and Cesare Casadei.

Between them, the six have averaged just 7.6 starts in the Premier League - with Fernandez and Gallagher leading the way with 18 each.

Image: Getty

Chukwuemeka has only made two starts, while fellow youngsters Lewis Hall has started eight games but predominantly plays as a left-back.

The Blues had far too many players on their books last year and even had to make their dressing room bigger to accommodate all their players

However, after a mass 13-player clear-out where the likes of Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic, N'Golo Kante and Ruben Loftus-Cheek have all been moved on, they are now starved of midfielders.

It's no wonder they are desperately pushing to sign Moises Caicedo from Brighton.

The returning Levi Colwill is part of the travelling party, as are new additions Christopher Nkunku, Nicolas Jackson and Malo Gusto.

Image: Getty

Benoit Badashille, Marcus Bettinelli and Armando Broja are all continuing to recover from injuries back at Cobham, while Wesley Fofana has not travelled due to a knee problem which is being attended to.

Reece James felt unwell on Monday morning and so stayed home as a precaution, though he is expected to link up with his teammates in the coming days.

After the Wrexham friendly, Chelsea also meet Brighton, Newcastle, Fulham and Borussia Dortmund in the United States.

Topics: Chelsea, Premier League, Mauricio Pochettino, Fan Reactions

Josh Lawless

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and wrestling. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has interviewed some of the biggest names in the field - including the first UK interview with The Hardy Boyz after their return to WWE. He has never sported a pair of Lonsdale Slip-ons, contrary to reports.

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